Search

I received an email from HarperCollins Publishers this summer announcing the publication of The Cherry Harvest by Lucy Sanna. More often than not these email press releases speak right to my literary heart, as was the case with this novel.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know World War II is one of my favorite subjects to read of the historical fiction genre. My friends are no longer surprised (or interested I’m starting to think) when they ask me what I’m reading and I respond with “A book set during World War II…”

Usually these books take place overseas, but Sanna tells a war-era story from a different perspective.

The Cherry Harvest tells a story from the home front in a Wisconsin farm community where German POWs are put to work to assist with the harvest while all the local boys are off to fight.

The Christensen family welcomes the assistance of the POWs to help them with their cherry harvest with their son fighting in Europe, but it comes with a price. Secrets develop amid a forbidden romance…

My adventure:

Living on a cherry farm would definitely have its perks. More than once a fresh baked cherry pie was written into this story. I set out on a search for a locally-made cherry pie but I live in rhubarb pie country. Instead I did the next best thing: I baked!

I have never made a pie from scratch and I still haven’t, but thanks to this simple recipe I found on Pinterest, I made mini cherry pies. Unfortunately I chose to do this baking quest late on a weeknight and forgot to take a photo of the finished product. You’ll have to trust me they were delicious (a la mode of course).